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Abbas Iqbal also denies disseminating terrorist publications and possessing documents likely to be useful to a terrorist.

Ilyas Iqbal pleaded not guilty at Manchester Crown Court to two counts of possessing documents likely to be useful to a terrorist.

The prosecution have argued the so-called "The Blackburn Resistance" filmed themselves in camouflage, crawling across a park in the town, and that the video of "al Qaida-style propaganda" was destined to be distributed abroad.

I was bored, I did what I do best with my favourite hobby and I started writing down tactics I had seen from Hollywood films and newsreelsIlyas Iqbal

Ilyas Iqbal's handwritten notes on Urban Combat and Attack Planning were discovered by counter-terrorism police in a weapons cabinet at the family home in Percival Street, Blackburn, the court heard.

Also in the cabinet were air rifles, knives, machetes, a sword, a crossbow, various ammunition and books on weaponry.

Ilyas Iqbal told the court he wrote Urban Combat two years ago when he worked as a security guard on a building site.

"I was bored, I did what I do best with my favourite hobby and I started writing down tactics I had seen from Hollywood films and newsreels," he said.

"The main place was from a Hollywood blockbuster called Black Hawk Down."

He said comments he wrote related to the plot of the film in which American forces attempt to go behind enemy lines in war-torn Somalia to "snatch and grab" two militiamen.

'Imagining myself'

Questioning him on Urban Combat, his barrister Roderick Price asked him: "Did you write it for a terrorist purpose?"

He replied: "No, I did not write it for any terrorist purpose."

"Did you think it would have been useful for a terrorist?", said Mr Price.

"Of course not, I have not had any military training," Ilyas Iqbal said.

"These were just my own thoughts off the top of my head, I cannot see how it would be useful to anyone but me.

"What is the story of Urban Combat?" asked his barrister.

Ilyas Iqbal replied: "It was imagining myself as a guerrilla commander fighting a larger force. Fantasising to make the time pass by."

Other segments of his notes came from watching news items on Al-Jazeera on Fox News, he said.

Mr Ahmad, a 26-year-old Muslim convert who changed his name from Paul Andrew Cryer in 2004, added: "If you watched that film Four Lions - that was us.

"Except that we weren't doing any of the real-life stuff - we were doing strictly the playing around stuff. Our definition of comedy is being blooper soldiers."

Terror video

A key piece of evidence in the Blackburn Resistance case was a home-made film described in court as "al-Qaeda propaganda destined to be distributed abroad".

The film featured Ilyas Iqbal and Mohammad Ali Ahmad crawling through a park in camouflage gear. It was introduced by a voice saying: "They are fighting against oppression, they are The Blackburn Resistance."

Footage of the 'Blackburn Resistance' crawling through a Lancashire park {see page for link}

In the background a voice can be heard chanting: "I am the armour for those who believe in the unity of Allah. I am the fire against the aggressor."

The prosecutor in the case said the three men were "intoxicated by the evil of terrorism" as they prepared to join or carry out violent jihad.

He said the film was among material which Abbas Iqbal and an associate had intended to use to radicalise others.

All three men claimed that the film was a homage to their favourite action heroes.

During the court case, jurors were shown clips from the defendants' favourite films - including Black Hawk Down, which features Somali fighters defeating American forces.

Abbas Iqbal was jailed for a total of two years at Manchester Crown Court for committing acts of terrorism and disseminating terrorist publications.

The 24-year-old had stored weapons at the family home in Blackburn.

Prison sentence

Ilyas Iqbal was jailed for 18 months for possessing a document likely to be useful to a terrorist.

Police found documents at Ilyas Iqbal's home which detailed weaknesses in the US military. They also found videos on his computer showing the beheading and an execution of soldiers and prisoners.

With regard to the video, Ilyas Iqbal says "we watched it, we didn't do it. Kids are watching these videos. You know why? It's not because they're terrorists. It's because they're curious".

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Mr Ahmad was cleared of preparing for an act of terrorism and the trial Judge Andrew Gilbart QC said it was shocking he had spent 387 days in custody "for doing absolutely nothing".

Mr Ahmad, who spent part of his time on remand at Belmarsh high-security prison, insists that he and his friends were simply living out their boyhood fantasies.

"We wanted to make a video a bit like a Muslim A-Team," he said. "The Blackburn Resistance was nothing more than a title for that film.

"All this has done has given me a strong hatred for the so-called justice system. I have been a victim to this so-called justice system."

Police investigation

Det Ch Supt Tony Porter, of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said: "We presented the evidence to the court and it was up to the jury to decide whether there is sufficient evidence for a conviction."

Shuiab Khan, editor of Asian Image, a newspaper and website based in Blackburn, had some sympathy with the police.

He said: "When I saw their video, I thought straight away it was a joke. But it's very hard for the police to know for sure without investigating.

"In the present climate, to make a video like this is irresponsible.

Air rifles, knives, a crossbow and sword were found at the family home

"Whatever their reason for making the video, most people in Blackburn would say they were asking for trouble.

"If they had done it in 1998, nothing would have happened but to do it in the current climate was irresponsible."

Alyas Karmani, an imam and psychologist who works with Muslims convicted under the Terrorism Act, says that although groups like the Blackburn Resistance seem comical, they do pose problems for the authorities.

He said: "The majority of the young men I work with are similarly naïve - with a distorted view of the world, which feeds into delusions of grandeur. That can be a very dangerous mix because these people have the potential to be manipulated by charismatic individuals."

Although Mr Ahmad attended the premier of Four Lions, Ilyas Iqbal has not seen the film. Despite the fact that he makes constant references to Hollywood movies, he believes that cinema is forbidden in Islam.

He intends to appeal against his conviction and says his actions were misinterpreted.

"It was meant to be a joke and we had a good laugh about it - until we got to court and then it wasn't funny any more."

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His friend Alyas Karmani, a racial equality campaigner, said at the time: “He did not know he was going to get so much hassle. He has no links with terrorism. He is annoyed that he will probably always be arrested each and every time he travels back to the United Kingdom.” Another friend commented: “He is distraught at the whole thing. He thought he would be facing another stint behind bars without seeing his children.”

Kanmi, Abbas Iqbal, above, Ilyas Iqbal and Ali Ahmad dubbed themselves the 'Blackburn Resistance' and made videos of their military exercises in a Lancashire park

A man who pretended to be al-Qa'ida's "emir" in Britain by publicly calling for the murder of Gordon Brown and Tony Blair pleaded guilty to a string of terrorism offences yesterday.

Ishaq Kanmi, 23, from Blackburn, posed as an al-Qa'ida leader on an online forum used by militants. In a message posted on the now defunct al-Ekhlaas forum in 2008, he called for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the release of all Muslims being held in Belmarsh prison. Writing under the name Umar Rabie al-Khalaila, whom he described as "the emir of al-Qa'ida in Britain", Kanmi claimed that "martyrdom-seekers" would kill Tony Blair and Gordon Brown if his demands were not met. He was arrested while boarding a plane to Finland with three storage devices and a mobile phone containing terror-related information that he intended to distribute overseas.

Appearing at Manchester Crown Court, Kanmi pleaded guilty to a string of terrorism offences including professing to belong to al-Qa'ida, inviting support for a terrorist organisation, making a terrorist recording, and dissemination of terrorist publications. His sentencing has been delayed until psychiatric reports can be prepared.

Following his conviction, it can now be reported that Kanmi was arrested on his way to Helsinki alongside Abbas Iqbal, one of three men who were recently convicted for making an al-Qa'ida style propaganda video. Iqbal, his brother Ilyas, and their friend Mohammad Ali Ahmad called themselves "the Blackburn Resistance" and recorded footage of themselves performing military exercises in a Lancashire park.

Abbas Iqbal was sentenced to three years in prison two months ago. His brother received 18 months but was released because he had already served his sentence on remand. Mr Ali Ahmad was acquitted of all charges.

In a recent interview, Ilyas Iqbal claimed he and his friends were simply "messing around" and never had any intention of carrying out terrorist attacks. Some have likened their hapless, wannabe militant antics to those of the fictional characters in Chris Morris's new comedy feature film Four Lions.

But Kanmi's conviction and his arrest alongside Abbas Iqbal suggests that at least some members of the Blackburn group of friends had been intent on spreading militant propaganda abroad and encouraging others to join terrorist groups.

Many of Kanmi's postings on militant forums were made from a computer at Blackburn Public Library. Police set up a surveillance operation inside the library between March and July 2008 and decided to swoop on Kanmi and Iqbal once they had boarded their flight to Finland in August. The pair were planning to go to a mosque in Helsinki where Kanmi had previously studied.

During Kanmi's aborted trial last year, the court heard how he posted his first message on al-Ekhlaas on 2 January in which he called for "the elimination of political leaders and, [at the] top of the list, Blair and Brown". He also vowed "huge attacks, God willing, on centres and places of benefit to the crusaders." A second message, posted towards the end of that month, detailed his demands for foreign troops to be withdrawn from Muslim lands and promised attacks on "all embassies, crusaders' centres and their interests throughout the country, with the help of Allah."

Kanmi's QC, Joel Bennathan, defended his client by describing him as "a very young, damaged man who is a million miles away from [convicted terror preacher] Abu Hamza." He said Kanmi was "reckless rather than intentional" in some of his actions.

But Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said Kanmi's public support for a "murderous organisation" such as al-Qa'ida was a similar crime to soliciting to murder. During last year's trial Mr Edis told jurors: "His aim was to persuade others to commit murder, to carry out acts of terror and to engage in martyrdom operations. He did what he could to help them by publishing useful information on the internet. He became a determined supporter of jihadi terrorism."

Ishaq Kanmi, 24, who has been jailed for five years. Photograph: Greater Manchester Police/PA

A man who posed as the British leader of al-Qaida in calling for the assassination of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown was jailed for five years today.

Ishaq Kanmi, 24, wrote on a jihadi website in January 2008 that the two former prime ministers would be targeted by "martyrdom seekers" if his demands that British troops were withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan and all Muslims were released from London's Belmarsh prison were not met within two months.

He posed online as Umar Rabie, the leader of "al-Qaida in Britain", but Manchester crown court heard that the supposed offshoot of Osama Bin Laden's terrorist group was fictitious and there was no evidence that Kanmi had any links with al-Qaida.

He composed the internet messages on a public computer at the Central Library in Blackburn, Lancashire, where a surveillance operation was set up to catch him in the act. Officers stood behind Kanmi and captured him on camera openly downloading jihadi material. On one occasion he watched a video of guns being fired into the air.

In mitigation, Joel Bennathan QC said his client had had a "miserable childhood" in which he was constantly bullied at school and had no friends. He also said Kanmi had a poor understanding of English and had suffered health problems.

The sentencing judge, Mr Justice Mackay, said the "mere assertion" that a serious terrorist group had been set up, even if it was bogus, would have caused alarm to the public and was intended to do so.

"This defendant between May 2007 and until his arrest in August 2008 effectively devoted his time and energy for hours and days on end to further his aims. We will never know what, if any, success he had," he said.

On Kanmi's plea for martyrdom, the judge added: "We will never know whether out there some young man has turned to thoughts of violence in the cause. If there was not such a person it was not for want of trying on the defendant's part."

Kanmi was arrested at Manchester airport as he waited to board a flight to Finland in August 2008. He had organised the trip to Helsinki with Abbas Iqbal, 24, one of two brothers who filmed al-Qaida-style propaganda videos in a park and dubbed themselves "The Blackburn Resistance".

In May, Kanmi, of Cromwell Street, pleaded guilty to professing to belong to al-Qaida and inviting support for the terror group. He also admitted collecting or making a record of information likely to be useful to a terrorist and disseminating terrorist publications.

Kanmi denied two counts of soliciting to murder Brown and Blair. He received sentences of five years' imprisonment for all his offences, apart from one count of dissemination in which he was given a four-year jail term. All sentences are to run concurrently.One man who responded to his online messages was convicted by a jury at Preston crown court in December on five counts of possessing terror-related articles and jailed for seven years.

Krenar Lusha, 30, was caught downloading a video on how to blow people up when police burst into his home in Derby. Officers also discovered 72 litres of petrol in the cellar of his terrace house and computer documents such as The Bomb Book and videos including Mobile Detonators.

Following a trial at Manchester crown court, Iqbal, a former classmate of Kanmi, was sentenced in March to two years in jail for dissemination of terrorist material and one year for preparing for acts of terrorism, to run concurrently.

Kanmi will be free within a year after already serving 664 days on remand following the collapse of his original trial at Preston crown court last year due to legal reasons.

QUOTE

June 24, 2010"Leader of al Qaeda in the UK" Sentenced to 5 Years -- Rusty Testified at Trial

You'll note the quotation marks in the headline about the convicted online terror supporter Ishaq Kanmi. When I first started following the antics of "Umar Rabie al-Khalifah, the Leader of al Qaeda in Britain" I strongly suspected he was no such thing. But the fact that he was lying about being a leader of al Qaeda never suggested to me that he wasn't dangerous.

After all, this was a guy who was trolling the internet for volunteer suicide bombers to kill civilians. His worst offense was that he encouraged others to do what he himself, sadly, may never have gotten around to doing: becoming a martyr.

Kanmi and I are old acquaintances from our days on the Infovlad forum. Me as an administrator and Kanmi, using several aliases, as a cheerleader for al Qaeda. We even exchanged an email or two.

Hence, my involvement in the case was as a witness. I haven't spoken much publicly about this case because of my involvement, but it was not, as some have presumed, as an "expert witness". I had first hand knowledge of Kanmi's internet based crimes, and so that is what I testified to in court. Nothing else.

In fact, it was me that first notified the authorities about Kanmi's claims of being connected to al Qaeda and making the original death threats after tracing him to a public computer in Blackburn. Later, when Kanmi's threats were posted on an even bigger and more well connected jihad forum, the authorities took notice of him on their own.

Announcement banner posted by Kanmi of the creation of al Qaeda in Britain

At some point this led to them filming Kanmi using a computer at a public library downloading jihadi material -- a criminal offense in the UK. But it wasn't until Kanmi was about to leave the country that the police arrested him and his co-conspirators. In between his first threat and his arrest, Kanmi hooked up with a few other radicals in his area. They called themselves "The Blackburn Resistance" and even filmed themselves playing at being mujahideen [Video below].

I can't say whether the group would have ever done anything violent. They certainly came off as at least potentially dangerous in the video and online.I first turned over evidence I had about Kanmi to the authorites in 2008. A big thanks goes out to a collaborator who helped me assemble the evidence. I'm not sure if he wishes to be publicly named at this point, but without his help there was no way I could have gathered this information. Thank you. You know who you are.

I then testified at Kanmi's trial last year. Because of the many death threats I've had over the years, I was allowed to testify under my pen name "Rusty Shackelford".

Here's how one newspaper put it last summer:

AN AMERICAN website moderator alerted police to a terror plot due to a message posted on the internet by a Blackburn man, a court heard.

The moderator of the Infovlad forum website told Preston Crown Court he contacted the Metropolitan Police when a user named Sheikh posted that he would carry out a suicide mission in London.

The moderator, who was giving evidence under the pseudonym of Rusty Shackleford after an order was granted to protect his identity, said: “Another moderator deleted the post, but I saved it and gave it to the police.

"I called someone at the Metropolitan Police and emailed to someone working in the counter-terrorism unit.”

He added that, after reading a BBC report that a Britain had announced he was the UK al Qaida leader, he emailed the former Infovlad user to ask if he was the same person.

The moderator told the court: “He replied ‘yes’ and there would be an announcement. It got my attention.”

Beyond the professionalism and the courtesies showed to me by Manchester's finest, I'm not sure what else to say about the trial except that some of the defense lawyers questions were ... bizarre. Including one "A Few Good Men" moment where I was accused, in a rather accusatory and loud voice, of being a liar.

There were also some odd insinuations that I was a pawn in a vast conspiracy to entrap Kanmi. Weird.

And for you King of the Hill fans who understand about the name Rusty Shackleford, I was actually asked at one point if, well, here's one press report of the exchange:

Cross-examining the moderator, defence solicitor David Gottlieb pointed out that the pseudonym was the name used by character David Gribble in television show King of the Hill when ordering a pizza.

Mostly I just testified about my email exchanges between myself and Kanmi. Kanmi had admitted to me in the emails that he was indeed the same person that had made the online threats using the "Umar Rabie" moniker. He even repeated the threat.

I also testified about certain personal information I had about Kanmi's online activities because of my status as an administrator on the now defunct Infovlad forum.

Kanmi was an active member of the forum for some time before he made the threats, and had developed some standing with some of the other hardcore jihad followers. Many of those members now run two other jihad forums: The Anti-Imperialist Muslim Forum was created by Infovlad members who I had either kicked out or who didn't like my involvement as an administrator; and the Ansar al-Mujahideen English Forum, which is staffed by a who's who of former Infovlad members.

Best part? All the robes and wigs.

Also, calling the judge "Your Lordship". Caveat: the judge, knowing I was from the US, told me that it was okay just to call him sir. But, come on, why would I ever pass up the opportunity at calling someone "me Lord"?

In the end, Kanmi pleaded guilty. I can only hope the evidence I provided made his lawyers think a second time about the original not-guilty plea. But, to be honest, I've no idea. Perhaps my testimony and the evidence I turned over didn't do a thing. I'm not sure what Kanmi could say after he was filmed logging in to a jihadi forum as Umar Rabie.

Today he was sentenced to five years:

A man who posed as the British leader of al-Qaida in calling for the assassination of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown was jailed for five years today....

He composed the internet messages on a public computer at the Central Library in Blackburn, Lancashire, where a surveillance operation was set up to catch him in the act. Officers stood behind Kanmi and captured him on camera openly downloading jihadi material. On one occasion he watched a video of guns being fired into the air....

"This defendant between May 2007 and until his arrest in August 2008 effectively devoted his time and energy for hours and days on end to further his aims. We will never know what, if any, success he had," he said.

On Kanmi's plea for martyrdom, the judge added: "We will never know whether out there some young man has turned to thoughts of violence in the cause. If there was not such a person it was not for want of trying on the defendant's part."...

Krenar Lusha, 30, was caught downloading a video on how to blow people up when police burst into his home in Derby. Officers also discovered 72 litres of petrol in the cellar of his terrace house and computer documents such as The Bomb Book and videos including Mobile Detonators.

Following a trial at Manchester crown court, Iqbal, a former classmate of Kanmi, was sentenced in March to two years in jail for dissemination of terrorist material and one year for preparing for acts of terrorism, to run concurrently.

He received sentences of five years' imprisonment for all his offences, apart from one count of dissemination in which he was given a four-year jail term. All sentences are to run concurrently.

I am a bit surprised by the five year sentence. It seems kind of lite.

One of his co-conspirators in the "Blackburn Resistance", Krenar Lusha, was given 7 years -- even though Kanmi was clearly the ringleader. But the lighter sentence probably reflects the holding off of several charges in return for a guilty plea -- the British equivalent to a plea bargain.

In any event, the case is now closed so I can move on to bigger and better things. I'm proud that I was able to be of a little service in first tipping off and then helping in the prosecution of this terrorist supporting scumbag. And that his surveillance also led the authorities to at least two others who had aspirations of doing harm to the innocents of the UK.

We once had an entire "Umar Rabie" archive here at the Jawa Report. But once it became clear that I was going to be involved in the prosecution's case against Kanmi, we made the decision to delete the archive. I'm going to restore the archive and I'll put links below the "Blackburn Resistance" video below to any of our previous stories that I can find.